"In a book that explores the fascinating link between the creative and the sacred, Robert Wuthnow claims that artists have become the spiritual vanguard of our time. Drawing on in-depth interviews with a hundred painters, sculptors, writers, singers, dancers, and actors, Wuthnow profiles such national figures as novelist Madeleine L'Engle, playwright Tony Kushner, photographer Andres Serrano, sculptor Greg Wyatt, dancer Carla DeSola, and wood carver David Ellsworth. He includes the spiritual insights of dozens of other accomplished artists who have gained prominence as Broadway performers, gospel signers, jazz musicians, poets, painters, weavers, dancers, and installation artists." "These artists provide rich insights into the social and cultural problems of our time. Many have been shaped by the growing ethnic, racial, and religous diversity of the United States. Many are at the cutting edge of new thinking about body, mind, and spirit, and many are seeking ways to integrate their understandings of spirituality with interests in nature and preserving the environment. For readers interested in exploring contemporary spirituality, or who are engaged in spiritual pursuits of their own, this engaging, elegantly written, and erudite book will answer many questions about the changing moral and spiritual role of creativity and the arts."--BOOK JACKET.